WINTER:At least Calcifrer was no longer wearing his underwear but a robe covering his naked body. Or his boxer shorts. What a pity. It would be best if I could…I mentally scolded myself. What the heck was wrong with me this evening? Was this the right time to sleep?“Do you like what I am wearing, pumpkin?”I cleared my throat. “It seemed comfortable. Where did you get one?” I asked. The issue is not his body as of the moment, Winter. It's his presence with you in the kitchen, okay?He looked at himself. “In the closet. Your Dad prepared a lot of extra clothes. Do you think he is preparing for this day to come? That he will know that one day, I will be sleeping over at his house?”I folded my arms in front of my chest. “Oh, please. Dad was definitely not thinking about that. He was thinking of the other guest. Except you.”“He is thinking about me. This is what he had dreamed of, pumpkin? For us to get together.”“Which won't happen in this lifetime but only in your dreams, Calcif
WINTER:I wanted the ground to swallow me whole at the intense embarrassment I felt right now. I was right from the beginning. The gut telling me that Cali knew I was watching was right and I should have listened to it. But how did he know?Maybe it had something to do with Dad. It was never Ynes since that woman never decided on her own. She let me know it first, leaving it with Dad only. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I denied as he sat comfortably opposite me. That was the only thing I could do now. Deny to death even if I was already caught. “I saw you looking at your phone. I was watching the recordings through my laptop.” He smiled and I so badly wanted to wipe out the smirk from his mouth. “Whatever. I really did not know what you were talking about, Cali.”“Oh. You don't know what I am talking about?” he taunted. My hands were already sweating profusely. Dammit. I never wanted to lie like this, but if I didn't, I would lose face. “Did you have a nice view of
WINTER: Shame flooded my senses. My little Liam was no longer little anymore. He was too observant and smarter than his real age."If I did that, I am so sorry if it does not make you comfortable, Liam." “I don’t like you two fighting, Mommy. It’s bad,” he grumbled while squeezing his eyes shut. “My teacher said that families should love each other and not fight.”Oh, God. All along, I was always considering my personal feelings, but never Liam. I was so focused on hating my ex-husband and the pain he inflicted on me that I always forgot that my son was also getting affected.I was such an embarrassment. "Why do you always fight you two?" he asked with an innocent look. "I don't like it when you two fight."How did it feel being grilled by your own son? “Liam…is that how it always looks to you?”He nodded. “Don’t you love each other, Mommy?”I loved your dad once. But he never returned the feelings, and we were all alone now. "Buddy, Mommy and I are not fighting. We were only tal
WINTER:"Mommy, you're also wet like us. Let’s bathe together, please?" Liam pleaded, showing me his puppy dog eyes. "I'm not that..." My words trailed off when I realized I was indeed wet like them. Probably when Liam hugged me earlier. "See, Mommy? You are wet too. Come on. You have to take a bath with us."My ex-husband extended his hand. "Pumpkin, let's go. Our son is waiting for us. Taking a bath will be a great bonding for the three of us."I felt my cheeks burn when mischievous thoughts filled my mind. Damn it. Why was I lusting over my ex-husband?“Our son is waiting, pumpkin.”Our son.Yeah. This was our son and if not for Liam, I would never make him unhappy.Forcing a smile since our son was watching, I said, "I can handle myself well. Thank you so much for your invitation." I went past Calcifer and grabbed my son's hand. "Let's go, Liam."Liam bounced up and down and held my hands tight. Then, he said, "Hold my hand, too, Daddy." Cali did. Liam laughed. "Why are your ha
WINTER:Carmela. That woman will forever leech off my ex-husband. She had no sense of shame and forever forced herself into Calcifer. Good news? Or bad news? One thing was for sure. She was now getting on my nerves. “You take the call. That might be important,” I said nonchalantly, acting to be cool about it even if a lot of thoughts were already on my mind. “No. She might be asking for money again.” Again? Carmela always asks him for money. Did she marry him because of money? Probably. There was no difference between you and her. Calcifer married you because of your family's money and now, the woman whom Calcifer loved for his life married him because of his money. “She is treating you like his sugar daddy. I cannot blame her. You're loaded now, Calcifer.”“She thinks I only picked the money in a garbage can.”“If that's the case, you force her to work. You cut off her allowances except for your daughter.”Why are you so eager to give him advice? You should treat him as if he d
WINTER:Happy? Was I happy those times? Did I ever smile truthfully when I was with him? Did seeing his presence inside the house make me happy? Did seeing him working on his laptop make me happy?The answers to those questions were big yeses. He was my happiness because he was my love. I loved him even if it was unrequited knowing my husband would never love me because that was only a business marriage. “Pumpkin?” my ex-husband asked, pulling me out from my internal musing. “Happy? You’re imagining things, Calcifer. Why would I be happy with someone whom I don’t love and who doesn't have any feelings for me? I was only happy when you stepped out of our house.”He was quiet for a moment.“I enjoyed every bit of it,” he confessed. “Being with you…brought calm in me. I was content and comfortable with your presence.”It was the same for me, though I was not vocal about it.Contented? Lies. If he did, he would never have broken up with me. “But in the end, you divorced me,” I said qu
WINTER:My heart skipped a bit at my ex-husband's confession.He realized I was the woman for him? When? Given that he was indeed telling the truth. How come he had to undergo two divorces just to realize that?There was something off about this one.I should not let my emotions handle this or this might create another pain and trauma on my part. "Come on, Calcifer. We are the only ones here. Why don't we tell the truth and nothing but the truth?""I already expected that you would tell that. Never mind. I would show you that my efforts are all real. I will make my actions be the speaker, pumpkin."“I'm not buying it. I don't even know what to give you the benefit of the doubt. I am already tired of your betrayal, Calcifer. That is enough for now.”Heavy silence passed between us until we reached Dad’s house. When I arrived at the mansion, Hawk was waiting for me, wearing a worried expression on his face. However, it disappeared upon recognizing my ex-husband's car. I hope this wil
WINTER:Calcifer opened his mouth but no words would come of it. Then, he closed it again, his shoulders lowering. "I am only trying to make you safe, pumpkin. Is it bad?""I am safe when I am with Hawk," I pressed. "I feel safe around him. I am comfortable around him. Please don't meddle any more with my affairs, Calcifer. I don't like it. Go." I turned my back to him, without listening to his answer. I went upstairs to my room with Hawk tailing me.Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Calcifer downstairs turn his back and go to his car. He thought it was romantic to dictate my life. If he did that while we were still married, maybe it was romantic. I was hopelessly in love with him. It was already late, Calcifer. I moved on with my son. "Miss Winter. Can we talk?" Hawk asked before I could enter my room. I inhaled deeply before I faced him. "Look, Hawk. I admit it was my mistake. It won't happen again. I understand why you are mad at me."“That's…not what I will say.”“What is